The present invention relates to catheters and catheter systems, including ultrasound catheter systems.
Various catheter systems, including ultrasound catheter systems, are known. One such catheter system is the AcuNav™ catheter system of the present assignee. As shown in FIG. 6, that system uses an ultrasound array 601 mounted at the end of a small-diameter catheter 603 to, in one application, obtain access to the heart through the venous system in order to obtain ultrasound images. Manipulation of the end of the catheter 603 is performed using control wires (not shown) that run through lumens inside the catheter 603. Using four control wires, both anterior/posterior (A/P) and right/left (R/L) control may be achieved. An operator handle 610 is provided with two rotating rings 611 and 613, one for A/P control and one for R/L control. Additional details of the system of FIG. 6 may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,938,616 and 5,846,205, incorporated herein by reference.
Another known system includes a tubular probe designed for trans-esophageal (TE) use such as trans-esophageal echocardiology (TEE). Cardiac imaging is the most common application. Again, an ultrasound array is mounted at the end of the probe. The probe in this instance, however, is considerably thicker. For an adult version, the probe may be of the approximate thickness of an adult's thumb; for a pediatric version, the probe may be of the approximate thickness of an adult's little finger. Such thicknesses have been required to obtain sufficiently good contact with the esophageal wall to enable effective imaging. The thickness and bulk of these probes produces user discomfort. Furthermore, the versatility of such probe systems is limited. For example, nasal access is not possible with such systems.